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He sighed. He hadn’t been looking forward to getting through those years with Catherine, but he wasn’t looking forward to doing them alone, either. Maybe if he set things on the right path now, he could at least make it as smooth as possible.
The bigger question now was where Mikey had disappeared to. His sleeping bag was empty, and he wasn’t known for his responsible decision-making skills.
James stood up, stretched, and gathered a few of his things for himself and Mikey. Clean clothes, showering stuff, toothbrushes, and water bottles, all tossed in a backpack for a trip to the public restroom. Fortunately, it had been pretty clean when they’d gone last night.
It took him a moment to realize that he should have been worried about Mikey, but he wasn’t.
Catherine would have been flipping the hell out, and they both would have sprung from the tent in a mindless panic.
Instead, James was feeling pretty confident that Mikey couldn’t get up to too much trouble. He might be sitting in the car or at the picnic table with his Pokémon cards, or he could have gone to the bathroom. But he probably wouldn’t have explored farther away than Elio’s campsite without someone noticing.
It was odd and at the same time comforting to have that thought. Some level of trust must have sunk pretty deeply into his soul for him to be this relaxed now.
He was a little worried about how things would go with Elio this morning for himself, but he didn’t have any doubts about his children’s welcome with Elio’s family.
When James emerged from the tent, the crisp air truly felt like the beginning of a fresh, new day. He zipped the door and wandered down the path, the sound of Mikey’s excited voice hitting him just as it curved.
A lower rumble answered back. Elio.
A moment later, the site came into view, and James stopped at the edge. Calvin was scrambling eggs in a cast iron skillet, a few pieces of toast directly on the grill. Ava, and the truck, were both missing.
But the two people James most wanted to see were at the picnic table.
What did you say to the man who’d given you the best fuck of your life last night, and was now playing Pokémon with your seven-year-old?
James had kind of imagined that if he ever dated anyone again, he’d have to know them for months before introducing them to his children. Not that he’d even really gotten that far in his plans.
But Elio was patiently coaching Mikey on playing his energies or evolutions or whatever, and Mikey finally “attacked” with a flash of triumph. Elio clutched his heart, pretending that he’d been mortally wounded, as he put his defeated card into another pile.
There were a lot of piles.
James should probably learn how to play that dreaded game. Perhaps it would be better if Elio taught him. Would that be weird?
Just then Mikey looked up and waved. “Hi, Daddy!”
Elio echoed him with his much deeper voice and a lot more innuendo. “Hey, Daddy.”
James felt his face go pink, but he tried to saunter over casually. “Hey, guys.”
Elio looked up when he reached the table, and James had the sudden urge to kiss him. Not something dirty, but a hey honey, nice to see you smooch.
His instincts were going haywire this morning.
He hadn’t even kissed Catherine on the cheek in years, and even then, it had mostly been out of obligation.
But there was something ridiculously homey and domestic about the scene, even out in the woods. Elio was wearing the same sweatshirt from last night, now paired with flannel pajama bottoms. He patted the bench beside him, and James took the invitation.
Every part of him felt warm when Elio rested a hand on his knee, but he tried not to show it. The morning after felt… remarkably relaxed.
“How did you sleep?” Elio asked, voice still a little rough.
“Like a log. I don’t even think I dreamed.”
“You snored,” Mikey announced.
Elio squeezed his thigh, and they all laughed.
“Coffee?” Calvin asked. “And how do you like your eggs?”
